Which are the best Egerton University Njoro Hostels?

One of the most controversial questions within the Njoro campus of Egerton University is as to which hostels are the best. It is quite a while since I left Egerton University, but by the time I left, there were hostels like Buru Buru for men, Ruwenzori for men, Hollywood for men, Maringo (for both men and women), Mama Ngina (for women), Tatton (for men and women, though it was eventually left for women alone)… among others.

Some of the Egerton University student’s hostels are obviously much better than others. Like for instance, I don’t see how you can compare the standard of accommodation offered at Ruwenzori Egerton hostel with the standard of accommodation offered at Buru Buru Egerton Hostel (unless Ruwenzori has been improved in the intervening years). I also don’t see how you can possibly compare the standard of accommodation offered at Maringo Egerton hostel with that which is offered at Hollywood Egerton hostel. I actually and truly hope that Hollywood has been improved over the years, because the last time I checked, those were wooden structured that left quite a bit to be desired. I remember that during my first semester at Egerton, I ended up staying at Hollywood, as I had reported quite late. When I was told that I was being assigned to Hollywood, as a fresher, I was greatly elated as the name sounded glamorous. Shock on me: for upon getting to Hollywood, I found that it was a wooden structure, and there were actually three beds in one cubicle (including a double decker bed, yet I had been made to assume that the business of double decker beds would end at high school level)…

Of course, I understand that Egerton University students nowadays have the option of taking off-campus accommodation at places like Njokerio, Njoro and even Molo – options that weren’t there during the years I was in that place. Still, I believe that the folks who run Egerton University ought to put a lot more effort in establishing good on-campus accommodation facilities: if nothing else, to cater for the needs of poor students who simply can’t afford off-campus accommodation. I remember that at the time I was at Egerton University Njoro, you would often have students who were so poor that they couldn’t afford even the on-campus accomodations. Some would end up ‘pirating’ in other students rooms, and you would sometimes have folks sharing beds and I think I remember once finding a fella who was actually sleeping right under someone else’s bed!

Sometimes you compare the development that has taken place at, say, Kenyatta University over the decades with what has taken place at Egerton University in that period, and you can’t help feeling that perhaps Egerton could have stagnated. I mean, in the early 90s, the facilities at Egerton were almost at par with the facilities at KU (in fact, there was a feeling that Egerton’s facilities were somewhat superior). But today, you just visit KU and compare it with Egerton and get the impression that KU is perhaps miles ahead, thanks to the strategic investments that have been made in facilities. But it could also be due to the highly visible location of KU, compared to Egerton which is in an interior location -- meaning that it is possibly often overlooked/forgotten.